Method and system for transferring money in business-to-business internet transactions
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising:
- receiving and storing, in at least one database registration associated with a payment enabler computer server independent of businesses involved in a transaction, information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with a first business;
receiving at the payment enabler server notification of an amount owed from the first business to a second business per an agreed upon transaction;
verifying by the payment enabler server that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the at least one database;
receiving at the payment enabler server from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed;
in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying step, ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and
ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for enabling two businesses to complete a transaction that includes payment from one business (the buyer) to another business (the seller). A payment enabler operates the money transfer service over a computer network of nodes, such as the Internet. Typically, the buyer and the seller use the money transfer service of the payment enabler to consummate a transaction that they have arranged over the computer network through a business-to-business transaction facilitator that enables businesses to arrange deals over the computer network. During registration with the payment enabler, a buyer typically provides information about a bank account from which the seller will be paid, and the seller typically provides information about a bank account for receiving the funds from the buyer. The payment enabler facilitates payments for transactions between businesses by enabling the employees of a business registered with the payment enabler to direct the various phases of the payment process on behalf of the business for which those employees work. A super user employee, identified by the business during registration with the payment enabler, has the power to register other employees of the business with the payment enabler and to specify the privileges that the payment enabler should grant each employee to act on behalf of the business.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising:
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receiving and storing, in at least one database registration associated with a payment enabler computer server independent of businesses involved in a transaction, information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with a first business; receiving at the payment enabler server notification of an amount owed from the first business to a second business per an agreed upon transaction; verifying by the payment enabler server that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the at least one database; receiving at the payment enabler server from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed; in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying step, ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer-implemented method for effecting a payment from a buyer to a seller in connection with a transaction utilizing a payment enabling system, comprising:
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(1) prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process via a payment enabler server independent of businesses involved in a transaction, comprising; receiving buyer registration information input via a buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via a data communications network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to a buyer authorized person, buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to the buyer authorized person, and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with a buyer financial institution from which a payment from the buyer will be drawn; and (2) subsequent to the foregoing registration process, effecting a payment from the buyer to the seller with a payment process via the payment enabler server, comprising; receiving transaction details information corresponding to a proposed transaction between the buyer and the seller involving a particular transaction amount; receiving transaction information input by a person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer; retrieving buyer transaction privilege information from at least one database to determine whether the person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer is a buyer authorized person possessing transaction privileges to act on behalf of the buyer; in response to a determination that the person purporting to act on behalf of the buyer is a buyer authorized person having proper privileges, receiving payment authorization information from the buyer authorized person; in response to the payment authorization information input by the buyer authorized person, effecting a debit to the buyer account in an amount corresponding to at least the transaction amount and depositing the amount into a second account; and effecting a transfer of funds from the second account to the seller account. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for providing a business-to-business payment service through a payment enabler computer server independent of the businesses involved in a transaction, comprising:
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a payment enabler computer server, independent of the businesses involved in the transaction, operative for; receiving and storing in at least one database registration information corresponding to a transaction privilege assigned to an authorized person associated with the first business; for receiving a notification of an amount owed from the business to the second business per an agreed upon transaction; verifying that a first employee of the first business is an authorized person associated with the first business who has been granted a privilege on behalf of the first business by reference to registration information stored in the at least one database; receiving from a remote computer of the first employee of the first business a command to pay the second business the amount owed; in response to receipt of the command to pay the second business from the first employee verified in the verifying operation, ordering a first transfer of the amount owed from a bank account of the first business into an intermediary bank account through direct debit of the bank account of the first business; and ordering a second transfer of the amount owed from the intermediary bank account to a bank account of the second business via a direct deposit into the bank account of the second business. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-implemented method in connection with a transaction utilizing a payment enabling system, comprising:
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prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process comprising; at a payment enabler server, receiving buyer registration information input by a buyer representative via a buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via a data communications network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to an identified super user employee of the buyer and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with a buyer financial institution from which a payment from the buyer will be drawn; storing the buyer registration information in at least one database associated with the payment enabler server; at the payment enabler server, receiving additional buyer registration information input by the identified super user employee of the buyer, the additional buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to other identified employees of the buyer and buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to such other identified employees of the buyer; and storing the additional buyer registration information in the at least one database; whereby for a subsequent transaction, an identified buyer employee that has been granted transaction privilege authorized by the identified super user employee of the buyer is enabled to conduct a specific transaction with the seller in accordance with transaction privileges corresponding to the buyer transaction privilege information. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A payment enabling system for effecting a payment from a buyer to a seller in connection with a transaction, comprising:
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a payment enabler server connected for electronic communications with a seller computer and a buyer computer via a network; and at least one database for storing buyer registration information, employee identification information including privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges assigned to employees of a buyer, buyer account information, and transaction information; the payment enabler sever operative for; prior to a specific transaction between the buyer and the seller, effecting a registration process comprising; receiving buyer registration information input by a buyer representative via the buyer computer and communicated to the payment enabler server via the network, the buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to an identified super user employee of the buyer and buyer account information identifying a buyer account associated with a buyer financial institution form which a payment from the buyer will be drawn; storing the buyer registration information in the at least one database; receiving additional buyer registration information input by the identified super user employee of the buyer, the additional buyer registration information including identification information corresponding to other identified employees of the buyer and buyer transaction privilege information corresponding to transaction privileges granted to such other identified employees of the buyer; and whereby for a subsequent transaction, an identified buyer employee that has been granted transaction privileges authorized by the identified super user employee of the buyer is enabled to conduct a specific transaction with the seller in accordance with transaction privileges corresponding the buyer transaction privilege information. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification